The first recorded organized workers' strike wasn't at an English coal mine or a French auto plant -- but at a necropolis, or huge burial ground, in ancient Egypt in the 12th century BC. (It worked; authorities raised the artisan's wages.)

By most accounts, the scene in downtown Oakland is calm and orderly at the moment, given that over 1,000 people are gathered in the plaza with fresh memories of last night's intense violence. The question on everyone's mind: will it last?